Joel Plaskett Reschedules Canadian Tour, Shares New '44' Song

Joel Plaskett is set to release his ambitious 44 in April, and to go along with the quadruple album, the Canadian songwriting hero had planned to go on tour this spring. Like so many artists, though, the Thrush Hermit singer will now be postponing that Canadian tour, which has been pushed back until this fall. In the meantime, Plaskett has given us the new song "If There's Another Road."

Of postponing the Canadian tour, which will now start in late October, Plaskett offered the following statement:

Like most of us, I am shaken and deeply concerned by the crisis unfolding around the planet. As a performing musician, the exchange of energy at live shows has forged a connection with my audience and my fellow musicians. Touring for 25 years has introduced me to the beauty and diversity of Canada and other parts of the world. We are now facing the reality that we won't be able to congregate in person for a while but this shouldn't stop us from creating and connecting with each other in the ways we can.

Despite the tour being rescheduled to the fall (with many fingers crossed!), 44 will still be released on April 17. This physical separation we face is immensely challenging, but we remain connected in ways we cannot see or touch. Music has, and always will be, a meaningful part of that invisible connection.

Down below, you can see the rescheduled tour dates, which will still be with Mo Kenney and the Emergency.

Speaking of "If There's Another Road," Plaskett offered the following:

"If There's Another Road" is one of my favourites from the project. It's mood seemed to thematically sum up the third record in the set so it became the title track. It was the first song I wrote on an old, 1930's mandolin. We tracked it at Memphis Magnetic Recording in April 2019 on a session put together by Doug Easley, who recorded Thrush Hermit's Sweet Homewrecker back in 1996. Doug and George Sluppick were the laid back rhythm section and Rick Steff played some beautiful piano. Dave Shouse, whose work with the Grifters and Those Bastard Souls have influenced me considerably, added some great tension on Hammond organ to the last part of the song. The chorus' powerful backing vocals by Reeny, Mahalia and Micah Smith were later tracked at my New Scotland Yard studio with three of them around one mic. They really lifted the song to a higher place.